Episode 334: Teyonah Parris, Savages, and Profanely Good Etiquette

Actor Teyonah Parris on how Michelle Obama helped her prepare for her lead role in Spike Lee’s “Chi-Raq”… Post-punk band Savages DJ your murder mystery dinner party… Author Janice Y.K. Lee paints us a portrait of expat life in Hong Kong… Writer Sarah Knight’s life-changing answer to Marie Kondo… plus the Netflix of air travel, the history of the world’s biggest oil gusher, a journey through some utopias, and a fond farewell to David Bowie.

Texas was known mainly for cattle and cotton until Pattillo Higgins came along. His hunch that there might be oil in them thar' hills lead to the discovery of a massive gusher, which would fuel the 20th century.

Jehnny Beth and Ayşe Hassan are two of the four members that make up the London-based band Savages. Their debut album of ferocious post-punk was shortlisted for the UK's prestigious Mercury Prize. Their follow-up, called, "Adore Life," comes out this week. They provide a playlist for the next time your dinner party turns into a real-life game of Clue.

Teyonah Parris made her breakthrough playing the first black employee of Sterling Cooper on the hit TV show "Mad Men." And her latest starring role is in Spike Lee's acclaimed film "Chi-Raq." The actor chats about studying women like Michelle Obama to embody Lysistrata, her desire to see more complex representations of African-Americans in cinema, and about not talking about her hair.

Best-selling author Janice Y.K. Lee was born to Korean immigrants in Hong Kong. In her new novel, "The Expatriates," she paints a rich portrait of expat life in the city. The book follows the lives of three different American women in a small expat community in Hong Kong, including a Korean-American recent Columbia graduate, a wealthy housewife who struggled to conceive a child, and a mother of three who questions her identity after a shattering loss. Janice shares an excerpt from the prologue with us.

This week's chattering class topic: Utopias. Specifically, a bunch of utopian communities that sprouted up in America in the 19th century. And our guest is Chris Jennings. His new book is called, "Paradise Now: The Story of American Utopianism," and it focuses on five of the hundreds of utopian experiments of that era. The author tells us about God-fearing communists and a few Utopian leaders, one of which believed that eventually the oceans would taste like lemonade (seriously).

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Rico and Brendan aren't exactly back, but they're here to tell you about their new projects! Brendan has been producing The Paris Review and Rico has a new podcast called "Safe For Work." Rico and Liz Dolan ("Satellite Sisters") will help you make the big decisions, sort through the small stuff, and get more fulfillment from your work life. Here's a preview.

Alas, this is our last audio treat for you (for now). In the final installment of the "How to Behave" series, you'll hear some of the best of our favorite etiquette segments with celebrities. Master thespian Sir Ian McKellen offers a tip on how to deal with people who mispronounce your name (never correct the Queen), Cameron Diaz gives us impeccable advice for the long haul, and the one and only RuPaul gives some "godly" etiquette guidance. Be sure to keep up with Brendan and Rico at BrunchIsHell.com Cheers!